Keeping Secrets from Shizuo
by xTimeofDyingx
Summary: Hey. So yeah. This is my first story. Hope you like it! :) Also, I should mention, I do not own the characters Shizuo, Izaya, or Simon, or anyone else from Durarara. However, Senritsu and Natsumi are all mine. :) That sounds weird... Whatever, you know what I mean.
1. Chapter 1

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Chapter 1

My name is Senritsu Mizutani, and I am lost.

"Agh! Why did I come here? What am I doing?"

I decided to move to Ikebukuro after my twenty-first birthday. I wanted to take a risk for once. After all, my last boyfriend dumped me because I had, "no sense of adventure." You don't need a sense of adventure to jump out of a freaking plane. Just a death wish. But why should I care what he thinks. He didn't really know me. He didn't know my…secret. No one does really. The people who did…aren't really around to tell about it. So what am I trying to prove? Why did I just _have_ to move somewhere famous for their gangs?

"This is so stupid," My best friend, Natsumi, said to me the day before I left. She had lived in Ikebukuro for only three weeks, a few months before, and she couldn't stand it. She hated being too afraid to leave her apartment every day. "I told you how dangerous this place is! It's awful! And I had the bad luck to meet the two most dangerous people on the first day! In a fight, too! It was awful! Please don't go!" "I'm going."

'"Stupid," I said to myself now. "What did you just call me?" I gasped and looked up. In front of me was a mean-looking guy…wearing a yellow scarf.

"Fine," Natsumi said to me. "Just look out for the yellow scarves." She couldn't mean actual yellow scarves, could she? I thought that was just a name. Oh stupid! Of course she meant actual yellow scarves! The gangs here love to show who they're with!

"I-I was talking to myself! I'm sorry!" "I don't believe you! You're coming with me. I could use a little fun." With a smile, he grabbed my wrist and started to pull me along behind him. No! This can't be happening! Suddenly a knife zoomed past the man's head, hooking onto his hat, and sticking into the wall beside us.

"Now, now. That's no way to treat a lady, don't you think?" I turned and saw a man with dark hair and a sinister smile, wearing a fur trimmed jacket, twirling a knife between his fingers. "Piss off!" "Manners, sir." Suddenly, he was between us, facing the man, pushing a blade against his throat. The man backed away, but the knife followed. "I think you should go, before you make me angry." "I'm not scared of you!" "Really? Because I think you are. As you should be. You're clearly at a disadvantage here, seeing as _I'm_ not the one with a knife at my throat."

A drop of blood dripped down his neck. "Fine, fine! Don't kill me!"

The knife dropped, and the yellow scarf man ran. The other man turned to me and smiled. "Hmm. Proud, but still a coward," he mumbled, as he pulled out a handkerchief and started to clean his knife. I sat there, staring at him, remembering. "You need to stay away from Izaya Orihara. He wears a fur trimmed jacket, and his smile will, most likely, make you very uncomfortable." He looked at me. "Oh, where are _my_ manners? I'm—," "Izaya Orihara." "How did you—," "Lucky guess. Thank you for helping me." A gave a short bow, and started to walk away.

He appeared in front of me. "Just where do you think you're going? I just saved your life." "And I said thank you. But I didn't ask for your help." I started to walk around him, but he grabbed my arm, and pulled me back. "You're fearless. And slightly annoying." I looked pointedly at my arm. "I could say the same about you." He laughed. "At least tell me who you are. I know everyone in Ikebukuro, except you, so you must be new." "Senritsu Mizutani."

"Where are you headed? At least let me show you where to go." I could see right through his false politeness. I did _not_ like this man. "I'd rather you not know where I live, thanks." I pulled my arm from his grip and started walking. He laughed again. "Silly girl. I could easily follow you." "Whatever. I'm too tired to deal with you right now." "Fine, I won't follow you. But that's only because I can easily find you some other way. But be careful. There's worse things out there than the yellow scarves. However, Shizu-chan has yet to make an appearance today. I wonder why?"

Shizu-chan? Who is Shizu-chan? I walked away. "See you soon, Senritsu." The creepy way he said it sent a chill down my spine, but I kept walking. When I got to my apartment, I didn't even bother to pull out the futon in the room. I just locked my door, took my medication, grabbed a blanket, and fell asleep on the couch. Thus ended my first day in Ikebukuro.

What have I done?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I woke up the next morning, my head hurt, as well as my neck. And I had a bruise on my arm from where the man from the yellow scarves grabbed me. "Ugh. I wanna go home!" _Coward_, I thought to myself. _You've been here one night, and you already want to go home?_ Yes, I do. But I won't. I'm here to prove something, and I will. I still don't know what I have to prove, but I'm going to prove it anyway!

I looked around at my new apartment. It definitely could use some work. I sighed and stood up. _I guess I'll start unpacking._ I had only brought one bag with me, filled completely with some clothes, pictures, bed sheets, toiletries, and, don't laugh, my teddy bear. I had had it since I was six. My mother got it for me, because it had a little, unnoticeable zipper in the back that, when unzipped, had a place to hide things. She got it because my father was addicted to all sorts of drugs, and stole everyone's money (including mine) to get them. My mother wanted me to be able to save my money, which was only birthday money at the time, from family, but it was still enough for me to need to save it. When I turned eighteen, I put it all in a bank account that my father couldn't get into, but I still put some of my money in it.

But anyway, it was hard to get my suitcase to close. I had to have Natsumi stand on it while I zipped it up. So when I unzipped it, it all but exploded. "Dang it!" I picked up my clothes and walked to the dresser that was only three feet away in this tiny apartment. I tried to use one hand to open a drawer, but it wouldn't budge, so I put the clothes on top of the dresser, gripped the handle to the top drawer and pulled.

It flung out of the dresser and hit me straight in the forehead. I counted to ten, took a deep breath and put the drawer back in the dresser. "Calm," I whispered to myself. I took another breath and started to arrange my clothes in the drawer. Then I put the pictures on top of the dresser, put the sheets on the futon, and spent as much time as I could draw out trying to find the perfect place on the couch for my teddy bear. All of this was done in about twenty minutes. I looked at my clock. 10:45am. "What am I supposed to do now?" My stomach growled, as if to answer me. "No, no, no! I don't have food!" I looked out the window. I started to notice how many people where wearing yellow. "I am _not _going out there!"

I tried to ignore my stomach, but after an hour, I couldn't take it anymore. I growled to myself and grabbed my sweater. Walking out of my apartment building, I remembered that I hadn't even showered yet today. Whatever. No one here knows me, so why should I care. As I was walking through Ikebukuro, I saw several restaurants, including one called Russia Sushi. Natsumi had told me about that place. As well as the large, black, Russian man who stood out front. She had said, "He's a little scary at first, but he's probably the sweetest person in Ikebukuro. As I walked by him, I could hear him saying, "Get Russia sushi! Is cheap! Is good!" I wanted to try it, but I didn't want to have to leave my apartment again anytime soon, so I went to a grocery store instead.

When I walked in, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to get some money out of my teddy bear. I frantically searched my pockets for my wallet. Thankfully it was there and had some money in it. Not much, but enough to buy a bad of rice, some dish soap, and a sponge. There were already some pots in my kitchen, but I wanted to thoroughly clean them before I used them.

I bought my items and left. Thankfully, I made it home okay. When I walked into my apartment, I set my bag on the counter and took off my sweater. I took one of the pans out of the cabinet, got out my soap and sponge, and started scrubbing. After I cleaned it, I filled it with water and put it on the stove. I put it on a low temperature, so that while it was heating up, I could take a quick shower.

When I got out of the shower, and into some clean clothes, I felt _much_ better. I actually started to feel a little happy. I cooked some rice, sat down on my couch, and just ate out of the pot, while staring into space. How much longer could I stand living here? I mean, the apartment isn't _too_ bad. And I'm sure I'll find some friendly people _somewhere._ I'm sure I'll be fine. As long as I don't run into Izaya again. I _really_ don't like him. And who was that other person I'm supposed to stay away from? Oh, right. Shizuo. Natsumi, said he has light blonde hair, smokes a lot, and wears sunglasses and a bartenders uniform.

"Izaya is a dick," Natsumi had said, "but Shizuo is terrifying! I saw him throw a _vending machine!_ He just picked it up and threw it! And he's constantly ripping street signs out of the ground and hitting people with them! If you ever see him, run! Don't stare. If he catches you looking at him, he'll get mad! I've never actually seen him hit a girl before, but still be careful!"

I really hope I don't run into him. But with my luck, who knows what will happen? I went to the sink to clean out the pot, and my elbow hit the bag of rice…that I hadn't shut. The rice went flying all over the floor. "No!" So much for not going out again. I looked out the window. I'll go when the streets are more crowded, that way, I'm less likely to be noticed. As I clean up the rice, I start thinking about Natsumi. I already miss her like crazy. I wonder when I'll get to see her again, if at all.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rush hour. Lots of people. BAD IDEA! I almost bumped into so many yellow scarves! So maybe going out into bigger crowds was stupid. What the heck am I going to do now? I'm standing in the doorway of the store, clutching a bag full of small bags of rice. Six bags, to be exact. Just in case. I had asked the cashier if there was a less crowded way of getting home, she told me just through empty alleys. I hope they really are empty, because I am _not_ going back out into that crowd.

I took a breath, and ran.

_One more block. Just one more._ I started to turn a corner, when I heard voices. And then I saw him. Blonde hair, cigarette, and a bar tenders uniform. He had his back to me, so I couldn't see his face, but I knew he'd be wearing sunglasses. _Shizuo Heiwajima!_ My heart started beating fast, my vision blurred. I couldn't look away. I remembered Natsumi's words: "Don't stare. Run!" I started to back away, but my foot hit a discarded spray paint can. It fell over and rolled away, making a very loud crash, to my ears anyway.

He started to turn his head. He met my eyes through those sunglasses. "What are you looking at?" I started trembling. I tried to force out the words, "I'm sorry. Excuse me," But my throat closed up. I could do nothing, but what I was absolutely _not_ supposed to do. Stare.

Until he turned around completely and started to take a step towards me. The feeling came back to my legs, and I ran. "Hey! Wait!" Yeah, like that's going to happen. I ran the rest of the way home, threw open my apartment door, and locked it behind me. I stood there, my hands braced on my knees, panting. Gasping for air. I couldn't get his face out of my head. The glaring eyes. And the loud, growl of a voice. I shivered. I never want to go outside again! What if I run into him again? What if he recognizes me? He probably wouldn't. I was just some random girl that he barely got a look at. Maybe I'll be okay. I hope so.

~Shizuo's POV~

Who was that? Why was she looking at me like that? And why was she back here? A girl like that shouldn't be in a place like this. She looked so…timid. And she looked scared. I didn't even _do _anything. What was her problem? Stupid. Whatever. This isn't worth my time. I have better things to do. I turn to look at Izaya. "I thought I told you to stay away from here." "Oh, but I couldn't possibly stay away. I just _had_ to see the story unfold." "Huh?" "I see you met Senritsu." I stared at him blankly. "Pretty girl. Short. Dark blonde hair. Just ran away from you."

"So she's working for you." "Maybe." "Enough chit-chat." I picked up the dumpster that was right next to me and threw it at him. He dodged it, as usual, and I ran to him as I pulled my fist back. "Izaya!" He slipped past me, under my arm and backed away. "As much as I would love to stay and watch you make a fool of yourself, I have more important things that need my attention. When you see Senritsu again, as I'm sure you will, tell her I said 'hi'." And he was gone.

I should have known she was with him. I don't get spied on much. I clenched my hands into fists. If I ever see her again, she'll quickly find out why it's best not to mess with me.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

~OC's POV~

It's been three days. Three whole days since I've been outside. Coward. I need to go out, be social. I'm about to go crazy! I've paced around my apartment so many times now, you can start to see imprints on the floor, and I think I'm actually starting to break a sweat. It's not like I'll see him again. I hope he doesn't like sushi, because I'm sick of plain rice! I'm going to Russia Sushi!

I got some money out of my bear, grabbed my sweater and my keys, and left.

Outside, it wasn't too crowded, and I made it to Russia Sushi quickly, and safely. "You want sushi?" the black, Russian man asked me with a sweet smile on his face. "Yes." "Welcome, welcome!" He ushered me inside. Looking at the menu, I didn't see anything familiar, so I randomly pointed to a few things, and hoped for the best.

I ate peacefully, paid, and left. I almost forgot about my fears…until I saw blonde hair from the corner of my eye. I jumped, and started to run away, but I quickly realized that he was wearing normal clothes. I exhaled and placed my hand over my fast-beating heart, hoping somehow that would slow it down. _Get a grip._

I started to walk. Nowhere in particular. I wanted to explore, get to know the place. After about an hour, I started to feel relaxed, happy even. Until I felt a hand, close over my mouth and pull me into a dark alley between two buildings. My arms started to flail around, and my legs started kicking. I could smell cigarette smoke, and I started trying to scream through the hand over my mouth.

He pushed me up against one of the buildings, and put his other hand around my throat.

~Shizuo's POV~

I found her. I wasn't really looking, but I found her. And now she was going to answer a few questions. I dropped the hand that was over her mouth. "Why are you working for him?" "For who?" she choked out. "Izaya!" "What!?" "Stop playing dumb!" "I'm not! I hate Izaya!" "Huh?" My grip loosened slightly. She put her tiny, shaking hand on my arm and gently tried to pull it away. I wasn't moving, so she stopped pulling, and sighed. "He saved my life my first day here, even though I didn't ask him to, and now he won't leave me alone. My friend, Natsumi, moved here a few months ago, and her first day here, she saw you and Izaya in a fight. She moved back three weeks later, and before I moved here, she told me to stay away from both of you. She said Izaya was a dick, and to avoid him, but she also told me that you were…dangerous." She looked at my arm. "Sorry." I dropped my arm and stepped back.

She rubbed her bruising neck. "She told me if I saw you, to not stare, and to run, but when I saw you, I froze. I couldn't look away. And until you started to walk towards me, I couldn't run, either." "How do I know you're telling the truth?" "You don't." My hands balled into fists. She cringed and closed her eyes as I growled and threw myself towards her, and my fist crashed into the building right next to her head. I glared at her, my face inches from hers, until she opened her eyes. And then she…squeaked? What? I snapped. I pulled away and started laughing. "Okay," I said between spasms of laughter. "I believe you." I started to calm down…until I looked at her again and she was pouting. I lost it again. "Quit it!" she yelled at me, which only made me laugh harder. "Jerk!" After a few minutes, I was able to choke out, "Alright, alright! I think I'm done."

She crossed her arms over her chest and started tapping her foot. "Do you want me to laugh again?" She looked down and let her arms fall to her sides. After a minute or two, things had quieted down, and there was an awkward silence. "Your friend doesn't know what she's talking about." "Yeah, I'm starting to see that. You don't seem too dangerous." "She was right about that. I _am_ dangerous. But you don't need to run from me. I won't hurt you. And when you run, that's what makes me angry. It's more suspicious." "Oh." Things went quiet again. It didn't seem like there was anything else to say, so I walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

~OC's POV~

I stood there and watched him walk away, thinking about his words. _"I _am_ dangerous."_ I was starting to believe him. I believed him more and more over the next few days. I found myself wanting to go outside, with the hope of seeing him again. I couldn't get him out of my head! I no longer wanted to run away when I saw blonde hair, or smelled cigarette smoke. I wanted to run towards it. I wanted to talk to him again. I didn't know what I would say. I just wanted to be near him.

_Stupid. You don't _know _him. What's wrong with you?_ I was thinking about this as I was walking, not paying attention to where I was going, and I almost walked straight into Izaya. "Sh—!" "Hey now. Pretty girls like you shouldn't be using language like that." I didn't say anything, didn't even look him in the eye. I just turned and started walking away. I heard him chuckle and his footsteps followed me. "Just listen. I…_heard_ about your little run-in with Shizu-chan," _so _that's_ who he was talking about,_ "and I wanted to…see if you were okay." "Liar." "I mean it! He can be dangerous when he's angry." "He didn't hurt me." "_Now_ who's the liar? Judging by the bruise you're hiding under that red scarf of yours…." he used one finger to try to pull the scarf down, and I slapped his hand away. He chuckled again. "I'd say he hurt you pretty badly." I stopped and spun around, pointing at him. "Only because he thought I was working for you! And I wonder who gave him _that_ idea?!" "I would _never_ lie to Shizu-chan….I said maybe, not yes." "I don't have time for you right now."

I started walking again, and he didn't follow me, but he did yell to me, "Yes, go find him and satisfy your little crush." I froze. "This is turning into a very interesting story." Then I heard him say, with a laugh in his voice, "Hello, Shizu-chan."

~Shizuo's POV~

What? _What?!_ "Um…." She jumped at my voice and turned to look at me. "Well, my work here is done." Izaya walked away, leaving me and Senritsu staring at each other in shock. She blinked and looked at her feet, her face turning red. "H-hello, Shizuo." I didn't say anything. We were about ten feet away from each other, in an empty street. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, I asked, "Do…do you have a crush on me, Senritsu?" Her head snapped up, her eyes were wide. "N-no! Izaya doesn't know what he's talking about! I-I don't even know you that well!"

I nodded my head. "You want to go get some sushi?" She jumped, and got even more red. "W-what?!" I walked to her, grabbed her hand awkwardly, and started walking, half dragging her along with me.

We made it to Russia Sushi in complete silence. "Hey, Shizuo!" "Hey, Simon." Simon is the large, black, Russian man that is always outside of Russia Sushi. "On a date?" He said, jokingly. "Yes." I heard Senritsu squeak beside me, and I smiled a little. Simon stared at me in disbelief, and I walked past him into the restaurant.

I sat at my usual table, gave my order to a confused Simon, and looked at Senritsu. "Um…." She picked up the menu and pointed at a few things. I raised my eyebrow at her, and she blushed some more. "I, uh, I don't recognize any of the sushi, so I randomly point and hope for the best," she explained quietly. After a few minutes, she whispered, "You don't have to do this, you know." "I know."

We ate in silence. When she reached for her money, I grabbed her hand and held it until she looked at me. "No." "But—," I threw some money on the table and pulled her to her feet. "Bye, Shizuo!" Simon yelled. "Later."

We walked out of the restaurant. Still holding her hand, we walked for a while in silence. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Doing what?" She stopped walking suddenly, and pulled on my hand to get me to stop, too. I turned to look at her. She looked upset. "Why did you tell Simon this was a date? Why did you pay for my food?" "This _is_ a date, and I wanted to." "You didn't _ask_ me if I wanted to go on a date with you!" My eyes widened. "_That's_ what you're mad about?" "Of course that's what I'm mad about!" I started laughing. My hand slipped out of hers and went to my stomach. "Stop laughing at me! You always do that." She started pouting again. I put my hand on her cheek, leaned in, and kissed her. She pulled away immediately. "What are you doing?!" "I'm sorry. I just haven't been this happy in so long." "Um…." "I'm sorry." I calmed down and stopped laughing, but I couldn't get rid of the huge grin on my face. "I should have asked first. For the date, _and_ the kiss." She rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand. "Yes, you should have." I chuckled and said, "Come on, I'll take you home."


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, so I just want to let you guys know, I've decided to start posting every other day. The reason? I need sleep. Haha. So, yeah. And also, I wont be posting on Sunday's at all. Sunday is my busy day. That means there might be an occasional two day gap between updates. I may sometimes update two days in a row before Sundays to make up for that. It depends on if I have a chapter ready. So, thanks for reading, and enjoy! :D**

Chapter 6

~OC's POV~

Standing outside of my apartment building, we were silent once again. _C'mon. Say something._ "Thank you for keeping me company tonight." "You're welcome. And thank you for dinner, and walking me home." "Hmm."

"Well, well." _Dang it_. "How did I call this one?" "Izaya!" Shizuo and I yelled at the same time. He was standing on…_my balcony?!_ "How did you get up there?!" "You really should keep your door locked, Senritsu." "I—," "More to the point, how was the date?" Shizuo jumped in, "None of your business!" He reached behind himself and ripped a street sign out of the ground and through it. Izaya dodged it and said, "Wow. Temper, temper." "Ahhhhhh!" Shizuo looked around for something else to throw. "Hey, stop throwing things! What if that gets into my apartment and breaks something?" "But—," "Listen to your girlfriend, Shizu-chan." "She's not—," "Oh, don't try to deny it—," "Enough!" I yelled. "You're acting like a couple of five year olds!"

I stomped into my apartment building, up the stairs, into my apartment, and out onto the balcony. Izaya was leaning against the rails with his arms crossed, smiling wickedly. "Get out of my apartment." "No." My hands balled into fists. I squeezed my eyes shut. _No,_ I told myself._ Not again. Not here. Not now._ My hands relaxed. "Can I hit him now?" Shizuo asked. I hadn't realized he'd followed me in. "Be my guest." He pulled back his fist and charged. Izaya swung himself off the balcony and dropped fifteen feet to the ground. Shizuo slammed into the railing. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I really must be going." "Izaya!" Shizuo grunted, but he was gone.

"Are you okay, Shizuo?" He stood up straight, holding his stomach with one hand, and pushed his glasses up with the other hand. "I'm fine." He dropped his hands. "Um… would you like some tea?" "Sure." We walked inside, and I put a kettle of water on the stove to boil it.

"Um, can you wait here for a minute? I'm going to go change my clothes." "Okay." I walked to the dresser and pulled out a t-shirt and some pajama pants. "I'll be right back. Feel free to sit down on the futon."

I went into the bathroom and changed out of my dirty clothes. And my contacts were starting to bug me, so I took them out and put my glasses on. I also brushed the tangles out of my hair. I put my dirty clothes in the hamper next to the door and walked out of the bathroom. Shizuo was sitting on the futon, staring at the floor. I walked over and sat next to him. He looked up at me and smiled. "What?" He pushed up my glasses with one finger. "I didn't know you wore glasses." "Oh. Yeah." I looked down, blushing. He got quiet, I felt him push my hair away from my neck. "I'm sorry." "For what?" "Choking you." I remembered the bruise. I looked at him. "I'm fine."

He looked away, and something caught his eye, and he started laughing. I followed his gaze. From where I sat, I could just barely see the street sign dangling over the edge. I busted out laughing. "Wow." "Sorry about that." "It's okay." I walked out, grabbed the sign and tried to pull it up, so it didn't fall on anyone walking by, but it was too heavy. Shizuo walked up behind me and pulled it up with one hand. "Show-off," I mumbled. He chuckled. I turned around and he was _right there_. I was pressed up against him. "Um…." I backed away as far as I could, which wasn't much. "Sorry." I could see one corner of his mouth turn up. "It's fine."

I heard the kettle start to whistle. "Um…." There was an awkward shuffle, and when I made it back to the door, I almost tripped and fell flat on my face. I felt his arm wrap around my waist as he caught me. "T-thank you." "Be careful." When I was upright, he let me go and I went to finish making the tea.

When the tea was made, we sat on the futon and stared at the street sign in the middle of the room. "I'll take it outside when I leave." "Okay." _Come on. Say something. Ask him about himself._ "So…tell me something about yourself." "I don't do small talk. Or quizzes." I narrowed my eyes at him. "You just took me on a date, without asking me. Then you kissed me, again without asking. You threw a _street sign_ on my balcony, and then I made you tea. Talk. Now." He laughed, a short, humorless laugh. "What do you want to know?" "First, what made you hate Izaya so much?" "I just hate him. Next." "How did you rip a street sign out of the ground?" "I got angry. I can do a lot when I get angry." I winced, remembering something from last year…. "You okay?" Shizuo's voice snapped me back to the present. "I'm fine. Um, one more question. Why me?" "Hmm?" "Why did you take me on a date? Clearly you don't date much, judging by the look that was on Simon's face." He looked uncomfortable. "Well, I guess it's because I'm attracted to you." "Why?" "Because," he looked me in the eye, "I've never met someone so…timid. And so nice. Most would have gotten angry if I choked them." He rubbed the bruise on my neck with his thumb. "You forgave me instantly, when most would have tried to attack me. You see…I hate violence. When I get angry, I lose control, and I can't help but be violent. I _hate_ it." He looked away. "I like you, because you don't seem violent at all."

_Crap._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

That night after Shizuo left, I had a dream about my past. I woke up sweating and screaming. "No!" I looked around me. _You're fine. It was just a dream._ I looked at the clock. It was four thirty in the morning. I groaned and got up. There was no way I would get any more sleep, so I took a shower.

Right when I was stepping out of the shower, I heard a knock at the door. I wrapped a towel around me, walked out of the bathroom and looked at the clock again. Five am. I tiptoed to the door and looked through the peephole. I saw what looked like a death certificate. It dropped and I saw who was holding it. Izaya. I threw the door open. "What do you want?" "Nice towel." I looked down. _Woops._ I probably should have gotten dressed before opening my door. _Actually, you probably shouldn't have opened the door at all._

He held the piece of paper out to me and I grabbed it. Looking at it closely, I saw it was a death certificate. For…._ Oh gosh._ The blood drained from my face. "How did you get this?" "May I come in?" I stepped aside. He walked it and dropped onto the futon that I had left out, and unmade. So technically, my bed. "I noticed your anger when I wouldn't get out of your house. When you balled up your fists? And I saw how much effort it took you to control yourself. So I thought I would look into your past." He slowly took out two folded up pieces of paper out of his pockets. "And I noticed three of your friends…or should I say acquaintances, died horrible, messy deaths. By the same person, it would seem." "So?" "They were…launched into the air. The highest was about fifty feet. They all fell to their deaths. You were found at the scene every time, lying on the floor, unable to move, crying. They thought you were a victim as well." He stood up and walked to the balcony doors and looked out. "You killed them all." "Your proof?" He turned to me and smiled. Then he walked to me, and kissed me.

There it was. That loud "_snap_" in my head. The point beyond control. I grabbed his neck and the front of his shirt, and lifted him into the air. Growling, I pulled back my arms and was about to throw him through the glass doors to the balcony, when I felt something sharp at my throat. I hesitated, and came back to reality. My arms weakened and I dropped Izaya. Since I was holding him over my head, he fell on me. I just lay there, too weak to move, stunned. He rolled off of me and put away his knife. "There's my proof." I started crying. "Why did you make me do that?" "Fool. I didn't _make _you do anything. Fix your towel." My towel was staring to slip. I pulled it tight again. He stood up. "I also looked into the dead guys' pasts. They all had records for sexual assault. They all three liked blondes the most."

~Flashback~

_"Come on, baby." "I said leave me alone." "Don't be like that." He grabbed me and tried to drag me away. "I said NO!" I grabbed for his throat…._

~Present~

It was the same all three times. It was almost like they were all in on it.

Izaya had folded the futon into a couch while I went to the bathroom to put on some clothes, and we both sat, talking. "I can't help it. I just snap, and if no one's there to hold a knife to my throat and bring me back to reality," I glared at him, "I kill people." He chuckled. "You're welcome." "I'm not thanking you. You're the one who provoked me in the first place. I don't think I would have felt guilty for killing you. I hate you." "I know. That's what makes this so fun." He had a wide, evil smile on his face. I punched it off. He cursed. "What—?!" "Get the heck out of my apartment." He stood up and walked to the door, rubbing his jaw. He muttered, "_Now_ I know why you're so attracted to each other." "What?" "You and Shizu-chan. You're not that different. Not at all." He opened the door and left.

I looked at my hand._ You should tell Shizuo. You don't want him finding out from Izaya. _But Shizuo hates violence. I don't want him to hate me too. I looked at the clock again. Six thirteen. Crying had drained me, so I lied down on the futon, still folded into a couch, and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I heard a knock at my door. Too lazy to get up, I yelled, "Who is it?" "Shizuo." I jumped up and ran to the door, throwing it open. He didn't look happy. He looked kind of…worried. "What's wrong?" "I…." He looked at the ground. "I hadn't heard from you today." He looked at me. "And then someone told me Izaya had been in this area. He didn't touch you, did he?" I started smiling. "W-what's with that look?" "You were worried about me." He started blushing. "I…." "It's sweet." He blinked a few times, then shook his head, as if to clear it, and walked past me, mumbling. "Hey, nice hair, by the way." What? I lifted a hand to my hair. Oh right! I hadn't straightened it…or brushed it. Oh, this was going to be a pain. "Oh. I haven't fixed it yet."

Shizuo turned to look at me. "So, did I have a reason to worry? Did Izaya come here?" "Oh, he came here all right," I mumbled. "What?!" I held up my hand. "I'm fine. It's nothing." He grabbed my arm, gently. "It doesn't look like nothing." "What?" I looked at my arm. There was a large bruise, running from my elbow, almost to my wrist. It must have happened when Izaya fell on me. "Really, I'm fine. I didn't even feel that. I had no idea it was there." "That doesn't change the fact that it _is _there," he growled. "Why was he here?" "I don't know," I lied. "Bull." He let go of my arm and walked out onto the balcony. I sighed and walked to him. His hands were gripping the rails, and I could see they were making imprints. I put my hand on top of one of his and pulled gently. He let go of the rail and flipped his hand up to hold onto mine. We looked at our intertwined hands, and he laughed. "What's so funny?" "This is so weird. Never, in a million years, would I have thought I'd be holding hands with anyone." I smiled. "I never thought I would meet anyone here, in Ikebukuro. And I definitely never thought I would fall for you. Not after Natsumi burned it into my skull that you would try to kill me." I laughed.

And then I remembered…. _"Call me every day, so I know you're alive," Natsumi said. I laughed. "Alright." "Promise?" "I promise." _

I hadn't called her at all. _NOT ONCE!_ "SHOOT!" Shizuo jumped. "What?" "I forgot to call Natsumi! She's going to be _so pissed!_" I ran inside, grabbed my phone, and started dialing. But when it rang, I heard it twice, in two different places. Through the phone, and through the door. I heard a knock. "Dangit Senritsu! Open this door!" Shizuo had followed me in, so I turned around And whispered urgently to him, "HIDE!" His eyes went wide and he started looking around. "Under the futon." He paused and looked at me like I was crazy. "Just do it!" He rolled his eyes and crawled under the futon.

"Senritsu!" "I'm coming!" I ran to the door and let her in. She threw herself at me and hugged me. "You're alive!" "Of course, I'm alive!" She pulled back and slapped my arm. "Then why didn't you call, you punk?!" I rubbed my arm. "Because I forgot. And, OW!" "No excuse!" She pulled her arm back to slap me again, but I dodged it. "Cut it out!" "Fine, but you're not forgiven yet!" "Fine. Now why are you here? You hate this place." "To, a.) make sure you're okay, or b.) identify your body." I snorted. "Now," she walked to the futon and sat down. "Tell me, how've you been?"

~Shizuo's POV~

I bit my lip, hard, and tried not to laugh. She'd actually _snorted!_ Could she get anymore adorable? If it weren't for her friend being here, (and sitting directly on my back,) I would've got up, grabbed her, and kissed her again.

I listened to Senritsu tell her friend everything that had happened to her here, except our date…_and_ what happened this morning with Izaya.

After about an hour, here friend, Natsumi, yawned. "Do you have anywhere you're staying?" Senritsu asked. There was a moment of silence, then I heard her sigh. "Do you want to stay here tonight?" "Uh-huh." "Fine." "I need to take a shower before I go to bed though. That plane was _nasty._" "The bathroom's over there." "Thanks." The weight lifted from my back and I could breathe again.

I heard the bathroom door close, and Senritsu whisper, "Wait for the water to start running." When I heard the water, I crawled out from under the futon, and rolled onto my back, groaning quietly, and closed my eyes. "Are you okay?" I felt her hand on my cheek. I opened my eyes, and saw her on her hands and knees, leaning over me with a worried expression on her face. I grabbed the tips of her hair, that were dangling above my face, pulled her towards me, and kissed her. She pulled away and opened her mouth, looking as if she was about to scold me, but I pressed my finger against her lips and nodded to the bathroom door. She glared at me and punched me in the stomach. "Oof!" "You need to go, before she gets out of the shower!" She helped me to my feet.

Before I walked out the door, I turned to her and asked, will I see you tomorrow?" "I don't know. I'll try." I didn't move. She sighed. "I really will try. I promise." She smiled and kissed my cheek. I smiled and walked out into the hall. "Oh and, Senritsu?" "Hmm?" "We aren't done with our conversation about Izaya." I turned and walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, sorry this is a little late. I wasn't feeling well yesterday. But thank you for being patient! :)**

Chapter 9

~OC's POV~

"I'm going out. Help yourself to…rice, I guess." "DON"T LEAVE ME!" I was just about to walk out the door, when I was jumped from behind by Natsumi. "What the—," "You know I hate this place! Don't leave me alone! Where do you have to go?!" I had to go have a _very_ uncomfortable conversation with Shizuo. I couldn't tell her that though. I turned to look at her. "I-I have a job," I lied. "Call in sick." "No!" "Pleeeeeeease?" "I'll be home in a few hours. I promise. Just, lock the doors. I'll bring some good food back for you."

She looked so disappointed, and I _really_ wasn't looking forward to talking to Shizuo about what happened with Izaya, that I almost…_almost_ decided to stay. But, fearless Shizuo would probably come _here_ if I didn't go to him. "I'm sorry. I'll be home soon."

I left and started walking, when I realized, I had _no idea_ how to find Shizuo. Whatever. He'll probably find me. I just started walking to Russia Sushi. Halfway there, I saw something from the corner of my eye. Something…furry. _Dangit._ I turned and, sure enough, there was Izaya in that _stupid_ jacket of his. I tried to pretend I didn't even see him, but he was looking right at me, smirking. I took a few more steps, and then suddenly bolted in the other direction.

After a few minutes of running, I looked behind me to make sure he wasn't following me. I didn't see him, but that didn't mean anything. I turned my head forward…and crashed into someone. "What—?!" It was Shizuo. I'd know that voice anywhere. I wrapped my arms around his waist, (I'm like, five feet tall so that was the easiest thing for me to reach). "Oh, it's you! Thank goodness!" "Senritsu?" He practically had to pry my arms off him, to hold me away from him, so he could look at my face. "Are you okay?" "Iz—." I cut myself off. I didn't want to bring him up. Maybe Shizuo had forgotten about yesterday. _Nope._ "Where is he?" "How did you—?!" "Where…is…he?" "I-I don't know. I thought he was chasing me." Shizuo looked over my shoulder, and I could see him relax. After a minute, he looked at me. "Will you tell me what happened yesterday?" I bit my lip and looked down. Shizuo's hands fell from my arms, and he yelled, "Izaya?!" I gasped, my eyes going wide, and looked up at him. "What are you doing?!" "If you won't tell me, maybe he will. It's a _very_ long shot, but what other choice do I have?" "Just leave it alone! Forget about it!" "Izay—!" I reached up and clapped my hands over his mouth. "Shut up!"

He took a step back, and because I had been standing on my tiptoes in order to reach his mouth, I almost fell flat on my face. "Talk." _What do I do?! He can't know my secret! He'll hate me. I'm everything he thinks I'm not._ I blurted out the only thing I could think of that could fix this mess. It wasn't the whole truth, but at least it wasn't a lie, either. "Izaya kissed me!" I looked down immediately, not wanting to see the anger that I _knew_ was on his face. But, as it turns out, I didn't _need_ to see it. I _heard_ it. "IZAYA!" After that, there where…a _lot_ of bad words and names I'd…rather not say.

After Shizuo's…tantrum, I looked up, and saw a badly mutilated dumpster, and Shizuo, sweating, panting, and repeatedly opening and closing his fists. I slowly walked to him with my hands held out. "Um…." I touched one of his hands gently, and then grabbed hold of it. I walked in front of him, and reached up and placed my hand on his cheek. "Are you okay now?" His eyes had been closed, but he opened them to look at me. "Why?" "What—," "Why did he kiss you?" "I don't know." _Liar. Dirty, filthy liar. _"Maybe it was to bother you?" _How do you live with yourself?_ "I hate him. So much." _Look how much worse you're making this, for _both_ of them. You're a terrible person._ "I-it's okay. Calm down." He grabbed me and pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me and burying his face in my hair. "Why were you afraid to tell me that? It's not your fault Izaya's a dick." He has a point—, _No, he doesn't. _"I just…I was embarrassed, I guess." True. _You're still a horrible person._ Also true.

After a minute, Shizuo sighed. "I guess you need to get back to your friend now?" "Actually…." _That's right. You're lying to _her_, too._ "I told her I had a job, and that I wouldn't be home for a few hours. So, I guess you have me for a few more hours, if you want." I looked up at him through my eyelashes. A smile slowly spread across his face. "Care to go on a walk through the park?" He held out his arm to me. I slid my arm through his. "I would love to. Look at you, trying to be all romantic." "Trying? Try, succeeding. Your face is turning red." I looked away, shyly, just in time to see the corner of a fur jacket disappear behind a building. Dangit.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I walked into my apartment after a three hour walk with Shizuo, with bags of food filling my arms. Natsumi loves to eat, (though you would never know it, she's so thin,) so I knew I would need more food than usual. "Natsumi? I'm back," I called. I put the bags on the counter and went to lay down on the futon. I was so tired. When Shizuo asked me to go on a walk with him, I thought he meant we would for a little while, then sit down and talk for a while. Nope. When he said walk, he meant _walk._ I groaned. Natsumi walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. "You alright?" "No. Hey, didn't you take a shower last night?" "Yes, but I didn't dry my hair, so it got flat and felt icky." She had short, thin, dark brown hair. All she had to do was blow dry it and it was fine. My hair was a completely different story. Thick, frizzy, and had to be blow dried _and_ straightened, or curled, but I only curled it when I wanted to impress someone. I need to curl my hair before I saw Shizuo again.

"I brought you food." "Yay! I'll eat after I dry my hair." She walked back into the bathroom, and I heard the hair drier turn on. I heard a faint knock at the front door. Reluctantly, I got up and walked to the door, careful to check through the peephole before I opened it. It was Shizuo. I cracked open the door and whispered, "What are you doing here?! What if Natsumi opened the door?!" He looked at his feet and I heard something like, "…was _hoping_…." "What?!" He looked me in the eye. "I was hoping she would." "Why?!" I saw his fist clench out of the corner of my eye. "She's your best friend, right?" I nodded. "I don't want her to be scared of me. Don't you want her to see the side of me that _you_ see?" I was shocked. "Yes, but—," "Senritsu?" I hadn't heard the hair drier turn off. "Who are you talking to?" Before I could react and shut the door, Shizuo pushed it all the way open. I heard a shriek, and I turned around just in time to see Natsumi pass out and fall over. "Natsumi!" I ran to her, leaving Shizuo at the door. I checked her head to make sure the fall hadn't cracked her skull. She was okay. "Is she okay?" Shizuo asked from behind me. He had let himself in. I stood up and turned to him. "Yes, no thanks to you! That could have been done a better way!" He looked away. "It didn't _seem like you were going to let me meet her." I waved my hand in her direction. "And do you_ see _why?!_" He looked at me. "I'm sorry."

I heard Natsumi groan. "W-what? What happened?" I spun around and looked at her. Her eyes went wide at the sight of Shizuo behind me. She opened her mouth to scream again. "Wait! It's okay! He's…um, a friend!" She looked at me. "What?" I scratched the back of my head nervously. "Um—," "WHAT?!"

~Shizuo's POV~

Senritsu and Natsumi were sitting on the futon, Senritsu looking at her feet, while Natsumi—extremely pissed off—asked many, many questions. She kept looking from me, leaning against the counter, to Senritsu. "I'm sorry," Senritsu said. "But he's not going to hurt you. He's a friend." There was that word again. I almost scoffed. _Friends._ Senritsu and I were a little more than that.

"You did hear what I said about him being dangerous, right?" "Yes, but your wrong." I cleared my throat. She turned around and glared at me. "He thinks he is, but he's not." I opened my mouth to say something. "Only to Izaya, or anyone else that wants to pick a fight." I closed my mouth. "Correct." She scoffed, "Shut up." I smiled. Throughout this exchange, Natsumi looked back and forth between us with narrowed eyes. "What's going on here?" Senritsu stiffened. "Nothing." I rolled my eyes. Natsumi saw me, and her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. "You two are—," Senritsu threw her hands in the air, stood up and walked around yelling, "No we're not!" repeatedly, while Natsumi was yelling, "Don't you lie to me! What's going on here?! Are you two—?!" Senritsu's pacing brought her close enough to me, that I could grab her, pull her against me, and kiss her. She tried to pull away, but I held her tightly. I heard Natsumi gasp, and I could feel Senritsu groan against my lips. I smiled and let her go. She glared at me. "One more time without asking first, and I'm slapping you." "Uh-huh."

Natsumi stood up and walked over to us. "Why did you keep this a secret?" Senritsu turned to her. "Because you hate him." "I don't hate him, I was _afraid _of him." "'Was'?" "He doesn't seem very scary anymore." I could see how worried Senritsu had been just by the way she relaxed when Natsumi said that. She leaned against me and closed her eyes. I wrapped my arms around her. "Why are you so tired?" "I didn't think we would actually be _walking_ for three hours today."

Natsumi, who had been looking at us like we were the cutest thing in the world, now looked pissed. "I thought you had work?" Senritsu didn't even open her eyes. "I lied." Natsumi walked away. Well, more _stomped _than walked.

I rubbed Senritsu's arm. "You look like you need a nap." "It's the middle of the day." I picked her up, getting a surprised squeak out of her, walked to the futon, and laid her down. "Go to sleep." I leaned down, about to kiss her, but then I remembered and started to pull away. She just looked up at me. After a few seconds, I finally realized why she was just staring at me. "May I kiss you?" She smiled and nodded. I kissed her, and then started to leave. I stopped and turned to Natsumi. "It was nice meeting you." She grunted, still seeming upset. "I'll see you later, Senritsu." She looked at me. "I-I'm looking forward to it." I left.


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, so, I've had alot of headaches lately, caused by allergies, so everything I write is crap, and I kepp having to go back and fix it, so it takes longer to get a chapter out, so, from now on, I promise I won't go more than four days without posting a chapter, but I can't promise that I will post a new chapter every other day. Sorry! Thank you for reading!**

Chapter 11

~OC's POV~

I woke up to Natsumi, staring at me. "What?" No response. "What?!" A smile suddenly spread across her face. "You two are so cute!" "Ugh…." She burst out laughing. "You really should have told me about this sooner, because now, you're not going to hear the end of it." "I'm sorry!" "Too late! Senritsu and Shizuo, sitting in a tree—!" I jumped up. "Don't you start!" "K-I-S-S—!" "Shut up!" I walked out to the balcony and started to climb onto the rail. "I'll do it!" "I-N-G!" Knowing it wouldn't really hurt me, I jumped, prepared to land on my feet. Instead, I fell into someone's arms. I squealed. "Calm down. Hmm…you're lighter than you look." Izaya. I tried to wiggle out of his arms. "Let go of me!" "Alright." He dropped me. Because of the angle he had been holding me, I fell on my back. "Ah!" "Woops."

"Senritsu!" Natsumi yelled down from the balcony. When she saw Izaya, her eyes got wide, and she ran back into the apartment. A few minutes later, She burst thought the doors to the apartment building and ran to me. "Are you okay?!" "I'm fine." She helped me to my feet. I turned to Izaya. "What do you want, Izaya?" "You ran from me earlier." I looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about." He put his finger under my chin and turned my head to look at him again. "Don't lie." I jerked my head away. "You want to keep that finger?" He laughed and dropped his hand. "I heard what you told Shizuo. Thanks for that, by the way, now he wants to kill me even more." I smiled. "It was my pleasure making your life just a bit more difficult." "You're lying to him." "No I'm not. I told him you kissed me, which is true." "What?!" Natsumi yelled. "Who else have you kissed since you've been here?!" "_He_ kissed_ me._" "You enjoyed it." I scrunched up my face. "Ew…." He grimaced. "Anyway, you told him only part of the truth." I looked at Natsumi, then back at him. "Shut up." "Make me." Then in the distance I heard, "IZAYA!" Izaya closed his eyes and sighed, frustrated. "Great." There were no more words. Just the fighting I had gotten used to when Izaya and Shizuo were near each other. Shizuo attacked Izaya with a street sign, Izaya dodged, said a few sly comments, and pissed Shizuo off even more. It was really starting to get old.

Meanwhile, Natsumi looked like she was about to piss herself. "Oh, calm down. At least Shizuo's not mad at _you_. _Then_ you should be afraid." "But-but, this shouldn't be physically possible!" I watched a dumpster fly by us. "Well, you've got me there." "Can you stop him?!" I thought about that. "I don't really know." I slowly walked between them. Shizuo, who had been running at Izaya with another sign, stopped abruptly and yelled, "What are you doing?! Get out of the way!" I walked to him. "Don't waste your time on Izaya. All he's doing is trying to make you angry. Don't give him the satisfaction." "But…." He looked behind me at Izaya, and then looked back at me. He dropped the sign, and grabbed me. "Let's go, then." We walked back inside. (I grabbed Natsumi's hand as we walked by, and dragged her in with us.)

"Thank you for stopping me," Shizuo whispered. "You're welcome." When we reached the stairs, I stared to climb them, but a sharp pain ran up my spine, and I screamed, and started to fall. "Senritsu!" Shizuo caught me right before I passed out from the pain.

~Shizuo's POV~

I laid Senritsu on the futon in her apartment. "What happened to her?" I asked Natsumi. "Well, um, I was teasing her about, um, well, you, and she jumped off the balcony—," "She did _what?!_" Natsumi jumped. "She would have been fine! I think Izaya did something, because it was a while before she screamed, and I ran out on the balcony to see what happened. She was on the ground in front of Izaya. It looked like she had fallen on her back." "I think we should get her to the hospital." "That might be a bad idea." "Why?" "Senritsu is _terrified _of hospitals. Maybe we should try to wake her up first." "How?"

Natsumi walked to the kitchen sink and turned it on, cupping her hands, and filling them with water, then walked back to us and dumped the water on Senritsu's face. "What are you—?!" Senritsu started coughing. "What was that?!" she yelled when the coughing subsided. Natsumi answered, "I was trying to wake you up." "By pouring _water_ on me?!" "It worked, didn't it?!" "It got up my nose!" "Would you to shut up?!" I yelled. They stopped talking and looked at me. "What happened to you?" Senritsu looked down. "I…erm…fell." "I already know you jumped off of the balcony." Her head shot up. "How?!" "Natsumi told me." She looked at Natsumi. "Thanks a lot." Natsumi started to defend herself, but I cut her off, saying, "You and I will have a talk about that later. What happened after you jumped?" "Izaya caught me, and when I told him to let go of me, he dropped me on my back." "Did it hit your spine?" "No. Really, I'm fine. I'm just going to have a bruise, and a limp for a while." "Are you sure? Because I can take you to a hospital—," "No!" She sat straight up and winced. "No, no hospital. I'll be fine."

She was clutching her back. "Here, turn around, let me see." She turned and lifted her shirt up on the side. I could already see a dark bruise forming. "If it starts hurting worse, let me know." She turned to look at me. "How? I don't have your phone number, and I don't know where you live." Do you have some paper and a pen?" She pointed to the dresser, where I found a notebook and a pen with a little cat on the tip. I wrote my phone number on a blank sheet, and tore it out and handed it to her. "There. I'm going to go get you some pain meds. I'll be back soon." I kissed her forehead, stood up, and started to leave. "And, by the way," I turned back, "_don't_ let anyone but me in."


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, I've waited until chapter 12. I held out as long as I could. I had to put some "passion' in here. And no, it's not anything dirty. It could be much, much worse. ;) But no more spoilers! If you want to know what I'm talking about, keep reading!**

Chapter 12

~OC's POV~

I woke up to whispering voices. Wait—woke up? When had I fallen asleep? I kept my eyes closed and listened to the voices. "Do you know if her pain is any worse?" "No. She fell asleep almost right after you left." I heard a sigh. "She's gotten into a lot of trouble since she's been here." "I can tell." There was a pause. "You know, you can still see faint bruises on her neck. What happened?" "I hurt her. It was before I even talked to her. Izaya told me she was working for him. I foolishly believed him." Another pause. "You should know, I'm going to ask her to come home." A gasp. "You can't—!" "She's clearly not safe here. _You_ might be safe for her, but no one else is. She'll end up dead if she stays here much longer." "I'll protect her!" I heard a short laugh. "I'm sure you would try. But there is too much here for one man—no matter how strong—to protect her from." "I could do it." "No you couldn't. I've seen you get your butt kicked by Izaya, remember?" What was she talking about? "I did _not_ get my butt kicked—," "If that Russian guy hadn't stepped in, you would be dead right now. He had a knife actually _in_ your throat. I saw the blood. I'm shocked you didn't get a scar from it." There was another pause, then a sigh. Then a whisper, "Don't take her from me. I haven't been this happy in years. She makes me so, so happy. I-I love her." What? What?! Shizuo _loves me?!_ Well, now that I thought about it, I guess I love him, too. I wouldn't really know, since I'd never really _loved_ anyone before. Maybe really liked, but not loved. "You know she needs to get away from here." An almost inaudible whisper, "I know."

My eyes shot open. "No!" Shizuo and Natsumi jumped, and turned to look at me. "Your awake!" Natsumi yelled. I wasn't looking at her, only at Shizuo. He looked devastated, like he'd already given me up. "Senritsu…." "Shut up!" I started to get up, too fast. I screamed and fell on the floor. Shizuo ran and fell onto his knees next to me. "Are you okay?!" He cradled my head in his hand. I grabbed his head and pulled it towards me. "I'm not going _anywhere_! Do you hear me?!" "Sen—," "_Do you hear me?_" He closed his eyes and nodded. "Good." "Now, I'm taking you to the hospital." "No!" He picked me up and nodded at the door. "Can you get the door, Natsumi?" "Y-yes." She walked in front of us. "Shizuo—!" "Shut up," he copied me, and kept walking. "But—," He pressed his lips to mine, and held them there for a few seconds before pulling away. "Slap me if you want, but I'm going to keep doing that until you shut up. "But—!" He did it again, this time actually moving his lips against mine. When he pulled away this time, my eyes were wide, with shock and fear. But I shut up. Until we got to the hospital.

Shizuo walked up to the receptionist and said, "This girl needs a doctor. She," he gritted his teeth together, "_fell_ on her back. She's in a lot of pain." The woman looked at me. I guess she thought my tensed body and my wide eyes were from pain, because she asked, "Name?" "Senritsu Mizutani." She paged a doctor. "A doctor will see you shortly. Take a seat in the waiting area." Shizuo walked to one of the chairs and sat down, holing me on his lap. I was freaking out. It was like I could just _smell_ the sickness in here. And the medicines. That they put into IV bags. With needles. That they put into your arms. Oh gosh. I wrapped my arms around Shizuo's neck, and buried my face in his shoulder. "Please! Take me home! I don't want to be here! Please, Shizuo!" "Calm down. You'll be fine. They'll probably just do an x-ray." It didn't seem like he was going to help me. Fine. I let go of him and tried to jump out of his arms. It hurt, a lot, but I didn't like it here! "What the—!" I got out of his arms and started to run, holding onto my back, because it hurt so badly. Apparently, I wasn't fast enough, because after a few seconds of running like an old woman runs, I was swept into Shizuo's arms again. "No!" I struggled. "What's wrong with a figgin' x-ray?!" "Let me go!" "Senritsu!"

I finally had to stop struggling. It hurt too badly, and I was about to pass out. Shizuo went back to the chair and sat down. I did the same as before, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his shoulder. But this time I started crying. Shizuo gasped. "Are you…_crying?!_" "No!" I pulled one of my arms away from his neck and tried to wipe my eyes. He pulled my face away from him, looking at me intently. "Why are you so scared?" "Needles!" I squeaked. "I _told_ you, they'll probably just do an x-ray." "You don't _know_ that! Every time I've had to go to a hospital, or just the doctor's office, they've _always_ had to stick a needle in me for something! I hate it! It hurts! And I'm in enough pain as it is!" "If they have to inject you with something, it's meant to _help_ you, not hurt you." "That doesn't change anything!" "Neither does you whining! You're seeing a doctor! That bruise is too close to your spine to not get it checked out!" "I won't!" I tried to roll out of his arms. I will admit, that was pretty stupid. Even if I had gotten out of his arms, I would have ended up with _another_ bruise. But, luckily, I didn't fall. He caught me. "You're out of your mind!" "Maybe I am!" "Maybe nothing! Sit still!" "Make me!" _That was stupid._

Of _course_ he kissed me again. That was the only way to get me to shut up, apparently. But he didn't pull away after a few seconds. He kept kissing me. He even put one of his hands behind my head to pull me as close as possible. My thoughts started to slip away. My worries, too. I wrapped my arms around his neck again, but not out of fear this time. I wanted him closer, too. I don't even know how long we were kissing, all I know is, suddenly, I heard, "Senritsu Mizutani? The doctor will see you now."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Izaya bruised my spine, and now I'm sentenced to bed rest for three weeks. "I'm gonna kill him, I'm gonna kill him, I'm gonna kill him," I mumbled. Shizuo laughed. "I've been there. I'm always there, actually." The doctor had left the room to go get my medical records. "I don't want to lie in a bed for three weeks!" Shizuo petted my head. Yes, petted. I'm used to it by now, though. Everyone does it. I think it's because my hair is so fluffy. Or, at least when I don't straighten it, it is. And because I'm so short, it's the first thing that people reach. (-_-)*

The doctor came back into the room. "So, Senritsu," he said, looking at the clip board in his hands. "It says here that you've never had any vaccinations." He looked at me sternly. "Ever." "Haha, yeah…." He turned around and pulled a cart into the room with…. Oh gosh. Needles. The cart had needles on it! I jumped off of the bed thingy that he had told me to sit on when he checked the bruise, and backed as far away from him as I could, saying, "Nope. Nope. Nope." I would have ran out the door, but he was blocking it." "Senritsu, you _need_ the vaccinations. You won't get them all today, but we need to start at least one today." "'_Start_'?" "Yes. You will come back in a few months for another on, and another few months for another." "All for the same vaccination?" "Yes." "Nope. Nope. Nope." I ran behind Shizuo, wrapped my arms around his waist and held onto him, and didn't say another word. I could feel Shizuo's body shake from silent laughter. "I don't think you're going to convince her, Doc." "Could _you_ talk some sense into her?" "I don't care to chase her around anymore today." He started rubbing my arms. "Although, I've found I quite like what happens when I catch her." I could feel the blush coming on.

"Miss Mizutani, you _really_ need this vaccination. Have you ever heard of cervical cancer?" I shook my head, forgetting that he couldn't see me, but Shizuo felt it on his back. "She's shaking her head, 'No'." "Well, you're at risk for it if you are sexually active before you've been vaccinated for it." Shizuo and I stiffened at the same time. "Uh-um-wha—we-um…" Shizuo and I where stuttering and I let go of his waist and backed away from him a little. "We aren't…." "O-oh. I apologize! You just looked like a couple to me. I'm very sorry, I shouldn't assume things." "We _are_ a couple," Shizuo said. "But we don't…yeah." "Either way, I apologize. But, for the future…." The poor man looked so awkward. "She might want to have these vaccinations done." "No needles! I won't do it." I didn't care if I sounded like a bratty child. I wasn't getting any shots. I looked at Shizuo, and he had a funny look on his face. He looked, torn. Realization hit me. "You want me to get the shots?" He jumped, blinked, and cleared his throat. "U-um, n-no—," "You think we're gonna have sex?!" He started defensively yelling. "Well, we don't know how long we will be together! What If we're together for a really long time?! We might want to—," "No! _I_ won't!" "I'm sorry!" He smiled and looked as if he was trying to make a joke. "Wishful thinking?" I stood there silent for a few seconds then I punched him in the gut, walked around the doctor, and left the room.

"Senritsu! I'm sorry!" I could hear his footsteps running after me. I stopped and spun around. "What did you expect from me?" "Nothing! It was just a thought! I wasn't even going to say anything until you did!" "I'm not having sex with you, ever." He coughed. "Not ever?" I threw my arms in the air and gave an exasperated sigh. "Wait!" He grabbed my hands and held them in his. "Seriously think about it. How long do you see us together? Because I see us together for a long time." He looked me in the eye. "I know you heard me telling Natsumi that I love you." I looked down, but he brought our hands to my chin and made me look at him again. "I see us going somewhere. It's so weird for me, but I do." I sighed. "I'll get the shots, but I can promise you, I'm not doing _anything_ with you, any time soon." "Okay. I don't really want to do anything right now. I mean, this has all happened so fast, I'm good waiting quite a while." "Good." I started walking back to the room. "But you're holding my hand when I get the shots. Every time. When I feel pain, you feel pain." "Okay."

~Shizuo's POV~

She made me freaking bleed! What?! And worse, _somehow_ she got ahold of a pink, Hello Kitty band aid and snuck it on me. She giggled and started to run away. "Hold it!" I hooked my hand around to the front of her face and pulled her to me. I wrapped both of my arms around her head and asked, "Where do you think you're going?" Her voice was muffled. "I can't breathe!" "If you can't breathe, why are you laughing so hard?" "Shizuo!" "Answer my first question." I was leaving!" "Well, you're going to get this thing off of me, or you're not going anywhere." "Get it off yourself!" "You put it there, why should I?" She sighed and patted my arm. "Because you're a big boy, Shizuo," she said in a baby voice. I ruffled her hair and let her go, but first I kissed the side of her neck. She laughed. "That tickled! Jerk." She walked away, pouting. "You two are going to have to stop the rough-housing for a while," the doctor said. "Yeah, Shizuo." Senritsu looked at me with a sly smile on her face. I narrowed my eyes at her. She broke out into a huge, "innocent" smile. I laughed.

The doctor gave Senritsu some pain meds and we left. When we stepped outside, I picked Senritsu up and started walking. "You don't have to carry me." "You're not supposed to be walking right now." "I'll be fine." "No." She sighed and laid her head on my shoulder. "I don't want to have to lie in a bed for three weeks." "I'll come over every day." "Thank you. But what about the boring nights? I'm a bit of a night owl. I like sleeping during the day more, and staying up at night." "You'll have Natsumi." "True."

We got back to her apartment and saw Natsumi sitting on the futon, her travel bag next to her. "Senritsu!" She jumped up and ran to us. "Are you okay?" "I've been told to stay in bed for the next three weeks." She pouted. "And I got a shot." "Aw! I'm sorry!" Rolling my eyes, I walked to the futon and sat Senritsu on it gently. "But on the bright side," she said excitedly and grabbed my injured hand, "look at Shizuo's band aid!" I yanked my hand away and covered it with my other hand. Senritsu laughed. Natsumi looked at me. "W-was that…Hello Kitty?!" "No!" I yelled at the same time Senritsu started nodding her head rapidly and erupted into a fit of hi-pitched giggles. Knowing she would be embarrassed, I said between clenched teeth, "Don't make me tell her what the shot was for." She stopped giggling. "What was that?" "Nothing!" she squeaked at Natsumi. She changed the subject. "So, why are you packed?" "Oh, I'm leaving."


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys, ****_so sorry_**** this is so late. I have had a ****_very_**** busy week. I'll try not to wait so late before posting again! Thank you for your patience!**

Chapter 14

"What?!" Senritsu yelled. "Well, not technically _leaving._ I'm moving into the open apartment across the hall." "Why? You can stay here." "I don't really like sharing beds. I'll just be across the hall, though. If you need me, I'll be right here." "But not at night." "Nope." Uh-oh. "Oh. Alright." "Are you okay?" Senritsu smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine." "Alright. Well I'm going to go get settled in. But before I go, what did the doctor say about your injury?" "It's a bruised spine." "Oh. Well, hopefully it will heal soon." "Yeah." Natsumi grabbed her bag, said goodbye and left.

_Great, what am I supposed to do now? Senritsu looks like she's about to cry_. I sat down next to her on the futon. I put my hand on hers. "You alright?" She looked away from me. "Yeah." _What do I do? What do I _freaking_ do?!_ I could ask her if she wanted me to stay with her at night, too, but after what happened at the hospital…she might get upset. 'Enraged' might be a better word. But I couldn't just leave her alone. _I'm going to ask her._ I opened my mouth to ask at the same time she whispered, "Will you stay with me?" "W-wha—?" She looked at me, saw the shock on my face, and looked at her feet. "I-I'm sorry! That slipped out." "No, it's fine. I was about to ask if you wanted me to." She looked at me again, and genuinely smiled this time. "Thank you, Shizuo."

~OC's POV~

Shizuo left to go get us something to eat. He was spending the night. Holy crap, what did I do? Shizuo Heiwajima was spending the night. Okay, no, I can't think of it like that. It…it's just a sleep over. It's the same as if Natsumi were spending the night. Except, Shizuo and I were dating…. _Crap._ I heard Shizuo unlocking the front door. (I gave him the key so I wouldn't have to go get the door.) The door opened. "I'm back." "Yay! Gimme food!" Shizuo, standing in the doorway, stared at me for a few seconds and then rolled his eyes. He kicked the door closed and put the bags of food on the counter. "You seem…chipper." "I think it's the meds," I lied. It was totally the nerves. "Oh. Are they helping any with the pain?" "A little." He took the food out of the bags and came to sit on the futon.

He handed me my food. "Thank you." "You're welcome." We ate in silence. After we ate, Shizuo threw away the trash and came back to sit with me. We sat in awkward silence for what felt like forever. "So…" Shizuo broke the silence. "What do you and Natsumi usually talk about at…um…sleepovers?" "Well, sometimes we talk about guys…but, lately you're the only guy I've been talking about." I started blushing. "O-oh. Well, okay, then. Anything else?" "Um, well, we watch videos online." "What kind of videos?" "Play throughs of games and stuff." He stared at me for a minute. "_Why?_" "Hey, don't hate on games!" I'm sorry, I just don't see the appeal." "You don't see the appeal of anything but cigarettes," I mumbled. "And you," he whispered. That was seriously the sweetest thing I had ever heard. Wow. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He turned his head and kissed my lips, and, no matter how much I liked it, I had to pull away. "Um…I don't think you should kiss me right now. It's just, you're spending the night at my apartment…." He backed away." "No, you're right. Lets just watch some videos, or something." I got out my computer, (it was under the futon,) and turned it on.

I found a video to watch, pressed play, and leaned back on the futon. Shizuo—awkwardly—put his arm around me. I rolled my eyes, pulled his arm tighter around me, and snuggled into his side. He relaxed and we watched videos for hours like that, eventually falling asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**I am so so so so so so so sorry guys! Things keep happening to delay this! My computer had a virus, and I had to get it fixed. I just got it back today. I'm going to try to post as much as I can this week to make this up to you guys!**

Chapter 15

~Shizuo's POV~

I woke up with Senritsu sound asleep, leaning on me…snoring. _Don't laugh. Don't laugh! You'll wake her up._ I managed to get my amusement out in a quiet chuckle, but it still made her jump awake. "Wha—!" "It's okay! Calm down! It's just me!" "Oh." She closed her eyes and leaned bake on the futon. Without opening her eyes, she asked, "What time is it?" "Noon." "Ugh…. So we fell asleep sitting up straight?" "Yup." "Oh, I bet that's just _great_ for my back." She started to get up. "Wait." I put my hand on her shoulder, holding her down. "You're on bed rest remember?" She looked me dead in the eye. "Yes, but I have to pee." I moved my hand. "Oh." "Yeah." I helped her off of the couch and then sat back down. A few minutes later, she came out of the bathroom and slowly walked to her dresser. She opened it and whispered, "Shoot." "What?" "I'm running out of clean clothes. I haven't done my laundry in a while." "Oh." She sighed. "Who needs bed rest?" She reached for her clothes hamper. I jumped up and grabbed it before she got it. "_You_ do." "Shizuo—," "Shut up. I put the hamper full of clothes on top of the kitchen cabinets, so she couldn't reach it. "Dang it, Shizuo!" I started to leave her apartment. "Wait! Where are you going?!" "I'm going to ask Natsumi if she will do your laundry for you. I would do it myself, but someone needs to watch you and make sure you don't do anything stupid. I have a feeling that Natsumi couldn't, no matter how hard she tried. You're too stubborn."

I walked across the hall and knocked on Natsumi's door. She answered the door with a towel on her head. "What's up?" "Can you do Senritsu's laundry for her? She just found out that she's running out of clothes." "Sure. Where is her laundry?" "Hang on." I walked back into Senritsu's apartment and saw her sitting of the couch, her arms crossed over her chest, pouting. "What's wrong?" "Are you not going to let me do anything for myself?" I thought about that for a minute. "I let you go to the bathroom by yourself." She gasped, then growled, then grabbed a pillow and threw it at me. She missed and I laughed, grabbed the hamper and walked to Natsumi. "Thank you for doing this." "No problem. How's she doing today?" "She said the pills are helping, sort of." "Oh. Well, I'll bring the clothes by later today." "Alright." I turned to walk away, just in time to see another pillow fly out of Senritsu's apartment, and miss me again. "Dang it!" she yelled.

I picked up the pillow and walked back inside and locked the door behind me. "You're acting like a child." "You're acting like my parent." "Well _someone_ in this apartment needs to be mature." "Shut up." I rolled my eyes and gently threw the pillow back at her. "Hey!"

I sat down next to her and she slapped my arm. I grabbed her hands in one of mine and held them down. "Let me go!" "You hit me. Why should I?" She started to growl again. After a few minutes, she calmed down, and asked, "Shizuo?" "Yes?" "I've been wondering this for a while, now. How mad would you get if I called you Shizu-chan?" I was able to stop myself from clenching my fists and crushing her hands, but just barely. "_Don't_ call me that." "Oooookay…. I guess I have my answer." "Yeah." We were quiet for a minute. "That's not fair, you know." "What?" "So, you're allowed to do things that piss me off, but I can't get you back?" "No, you can_ definitely _piss me off, just don't use that name to do it. Don't do anything _he_ does." She sighed. "Fine. Will you let my hands go, now?" I dropped her hands. "Thank you."

She stood up and walked to the front door and picked up a pillow that I forgot. "Senritsu, you should have told me that was there." I stood up. "I would have gotten it." I walked over to her. "But I needed it," she said. "For what?" "This." She threw the pillow and it hit me square in the face. "Wha—!" "Haha! Serves you right!" I threw the pillow onto the couch, and looked at her over the top of my glasses. I took a step towards her. She stopped smiling and backed up until she hit the door. "You really shouldn't have done that." "Sh-Shizuo?" "You're going to get it now." "I-I'm sorry?" "Too late!" I jumped towards her and tried to grab her. She squeaked and ducked under my arm. I turned and grabbed her from behind by her waist. "Shizuo!" I swept her into my arms and then laid her out on the futon. I stood over her and said, "You've called me names, hit my arm, and thrown pillows at me." I followed her onto the futon, laying on her, but supporting my weight with my arms that were on the futon by either side of her head. "And to top it all off, you wouldn't even let me kiss you last night."

She blinked, looking shocked. "What?" I smiled at her and she laughed. "_That's_ what you were getting at with this?" I didn't say anything. "Do you want a kiss?" "Maybe." She put her arms around the back of my neck and pulled me down to her and kissed me. I pulled away for a few seconds and whispered, "Finally." She smiled and pulled me back to her.


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay, things keep happening that are preventing me from writing for days at a time. A good friend of mine I in the hospital right now, she had a heart attack on Friday, and then on Sunday night, she had a major stroke. She's hooked up to a ventilator. Last I checked, things were under control, but I've been spending as much time with her daughter(also a really good friend of mine)in this difficult time. I'm not going to put any time limits on updates, I'm sorry, but I'm tired of breaking them. I hope you understand. Thank you. :)**

Chapter 16

Senritsu pulled away when we heard a knock at the door. I'd lost track of how long we were kissing, but, to be honest, it was a good thing we were interrupted. Things were getting…heated, and neither of us wants that right now. "I'll get it." I started to get up, but she grabbed my arm. I looked at her, and she was looking at the door to the balcony with a terrified look on her face, that quickly turned into an angry look.

I turned around to see who it was. Who else would it be? I mean, really? "He just has a death wish, doesn't he?" Izaya was standing on the balcony, waving. He had a devilish look on his face. I stood up and just stared at him. "Is the balcony door locked, Senritsu?" "I hope so." I sat down on the edge of the futon. "I'll just leave him." I heard him try to open the door, unsuccessfully, and then knock again. "Come on! I just want to talk!" We ignored him. "What if I apologize?" Nothing. "Fine…."

~Izaya's POV~

I gave her a chance. I guess I'm going to have to use blackmail. "Shizuo, I think there's something you need to know." I looked Senritsu straight in the eye and pulled some papers out of my pocket. I knew she'd understand what I meant. I smiled.

~OC's POV~

This cannot be happening. _He needs to know_. This voice in the back of my head was starting to get annoying. Maybe they aren't the death certificates, though. Nope. Definitely the death certificates. That stupid, evil smile told me that much. "S-Shizuo, just let him in!" Shizuo looked at me with a confused look on his face. "I-I mean, he won't go away if we don't." "Well, how will we get him out if we let him in?!" "Shiiiiiiiizuoooooo?!" Izaya said in a sing-song voice. "Just let him in!" "What is going on with you?!" I got up and walked to the balcony. "I'll do it myself." Izaya slid the papers back into his pocket as I opened the door. "Nice choice," he whispered to me under his breath.

"What do you want?" "Is it so hard to believe that I just wanted to see if you were okay?" "Yes." "Fine. Senritsu, I need your help." _Um…what?_ For once, I agreed with the voice in my head. "Um, what?" "You heard me." "What could _you _possibly need my help with?" He was quiet for a minute. "Um, you might want to talk about this in private." Shizuo jumped in. "Absolutely not. She is not going anywhere alone with you!" "Just out on the balcony. Besides, I wasn't talking to _you._" "Why should I go anywhere with you?" He raised one of his eyebrows and reached into his pocket. "Okay! Just on the balcony." Shizuo looked pissed. "What the heck is in your pocket?!" "Nothing," I said at the same time Izaya said, "None of your business." Shizuo looked like he was about to start yelled, so I grabbed Izaya's arm and pulled him out onto the balcony.

"What the heck do you want?" I whispered. "I need you to use your strength to my advantage." "How?" "I need you to…rough someone up for me." "Why?" He gave me a sly look. "I have my reasons." "Well, forget it. I'm not hurting anyone for you. Not that I could right now anyway, in my condition, thanks to you." He pulled the papers out of his pocket. "Need I remind you of my advantage over you?" I made a grab for the papers. Before I could reach them, I saw a hand come through the sliding doors on the balcony and snatch them away from Izaya.

I froze. Shizuo, standing in the doorway, narrowed his eyes at the papers, then looked up at me. "What are you hiding from me?"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Shizuo—," "These are Russia Sushi fliers." Complete silence, and then, "Oops. Must have grabbed the wrong papers." Izaya gave me a wicked smile.

I started to growl. Quietly at first, but quickly getting louder and louder. "Izaya!" I grabbed his hood and flung him off of the balcony. I jumped off and landed on top of him, knocking the breath out of him. I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled my fist back, about to beat the living crap out of him. Someone grabbed my arm, pulled me off of Izaya, and spun me around. Shizuo was holding both of my wrists tightly in front of me. "What. Is. Going. On?" He looked like he could kill anyone in that moment. This calmed me down, quite a bit. "Shizuo…." Right then, Izaya stood up, brushed himself off, and said, "I'll be going now. See you later Senritsu. Shizu-chan."

After he was gone, I looked at Shizuo and said, "I think we need to talk…."

~Shizuo's POV~

"Then talk." Senritsu looked around and whispered, "Not here." I had noticed the people gaping at us, too. I let go of one wrist and pulled her into the apartment building and to the stairs. "Can you slow down? My legs are a lot shorter than yours, you know. I can't keep up." I slowed my walk slightly, and kept walking, until we were in her apartment. I slammed the door and let go of her. "Talk." "I…um…haven't told you everything about myself." She looked up at me. "I'm…not what you think I am." She looked down again. "You don't love _me_." I wasn't expecting that. "Meaning?" I saw a tear fall down her cheek, and resisted the urge to wipe it away for her. "You-," her voice was shaky, "you said you love me because I'm not violent." She looked back up and wiped the tear away. "But I am! More than you could possibly know!" It took me a minute to think of something to say. "Back there? With Izaya? You were upset with him. I still don't know why, that's what I'm trying to figure out, but I'm sure you had a reason." She didn't say anything. "Why were you upset?" She walked over and sat on the couch, and put her head in her hands. "I thought the fliers were death certificates." I waited. She looked over at me. "Of…of people I've killed."

~OC's POV~

The look on his face…it was too much. Tears started pouring down my face. "What?" I told him the stories.

When I finished, he came and sat next to me on the couch, but didn't touch me. "You didn't do anything wrong," he whispered. I gasped and looked at him, shocked. "What?..." "I'm serious." I wasn't expecting that. "What I can't figure out though, is why you wouldn't tell me. I mean, it was self-defense." "I-I was afraid you would hate me." This made him upset. "Why would you think that?" "B-because you hate violence." "You really think I'm that shallow?" "No!" "Then you should have told me!" He stood up and stated pacing. "Shizuo—," "Just shut up!" I blinked. He looked at me then leaned down until his face was right in front of mine. "If you thought I was enough of a jerk to hate you because of something you couldn't control, why were you with me in the first place?" He stood up straight, and then left.

"I don't think that!" I yelled after him. No reply. I looked out the window and saw Shizuo walking away, and terrified-looking people backing away from him. "I-I'm sorry, Shizuo."

A few hours later, I was curled up on my couch, still crying, and Natsumi walked in, a basket of clean clothes in her arms. "Senritsu! Here's your—," Just then, she saw me, and she dropped the basket and ran to me. "Are you okay?! Are you in pain?!" I shook my head and groaned. "Shizuo…." "What _happened?!_" I took a deep, shaky breath, and explained to her everything that had happened.

"Wow. And he just left?" I looked at her. "What?" she asked. "So you're not going to say anything about me killing people?" "Oh, I met both of those guys before. I applaud you." She started clapping. "That isn't funny. And it doesn't make me feel any better." "Oh, I'm not joking. You probably saved a lot of lives by killing those guys. And, by the way, Shizu-chan's over reacting." "Don't call him that. He hates it." "He's not here to stop me." "Natsumi…." "Senritsu..." she mocked. "I'm serious." "So am I. He's being childish. He'll get over it though." I sighed. "I hope so…."


	18. Chapter 18

**So, you might have guessed this by now, but I can't seem to stop writing right now. I'm at home, it's late, I have a laptop, and I just feel like writing. It calms me down. I don't know how many chapters I'll be posting tonight, but, the story is coming to a close, and if I write the last chapter tonight, I'm not going to post it for a while. Just in case I get anymore Ideas for something I can put in the story. :) I don't want to leave anything out.**

Chapter 18

It had been weeks, and he hadn't come back to see me. I had tried to go out and look for him, but it seemed like Natsumi was planted in front of her door, 24-7, to make sure I obeyed the doctor's bed rest orders. "I'll just be out for a minute." "And what if you run into trouble and are too hurt to defend yourself?" "You know good and well that I can defend myself!" "If you get angry. Inside, now." I would glare at her and walk back into my apartment, slamming my door. Finally, though, the three weeks were up, so, after I took a shower and straightened my hair, and put on my most flattering outfit, I left and went on a search for Shizuo. I went to Russia Sushi first. "Hey, Simon." "Oh! Senritsu! You want sushi?" "Not right now. I was wondering if you knew where Shizuo is?" "Oh." He looked awkward. "Um, he was here this morning, but haven't seen him since." "Oh, well, if you see him, could you let him know I'm looking for him?" "Will do." "Thanks." I started walking towards the park. So, obviously Shizo told him we were fighting, if you could call it that.

He wasn't at the park, either, so I started walking back to my house, but I stayed in the back alleys. Halfway back to my apartment, I finally saw him, talking to someone with dark glasses and dreadlocks. The guy with dreads froze and nodded towards me, and Shizuo turned to look at me. He jumped. He looked as if he was about to say something, but he just looked at his feet, mumbled something to the guy he was with, and then left.

I couldn't move. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I could feel the tears falling down my face, and would have let them fall, if it hadn't been for the guy with dreads standing there, staring at me. He walked to me and said, "Look, I don't know what happened between you two, but just give him some time. He seems…actually, he seems hurt. I've never seen him like this before. Just leave him be for a while, yeah?" I nodded and left.

~Shizuo's POV~

I couldn't talk to her yet. I was still so upset. How could she think of me like that? How could she think I would hate her for getting angry and acting…well, acting like me? If she hated herself so much, how did she really feel about me? _It's not the same thing. She killed someone. And you _did_ tell her you hated violence._ But I meant _my_ violence. That happens all the time. That puts so many people in the hospital. It's different.

The point is, I just don't want to see her right now. I can't. I just…I need time….

~OC's POV~

I ran into my apartment, threw myself on the futon, and started crying. He just _walked away._ _Well, to be fair, you deserved it. You _did_ lie to him. _I know. But I was just afraid he would hate me for killing people. I didn't really think the lying part would upset him so much. _Then maybe you_ did_ think he was shallow._ No! I know he's not. I wouldn't love him so much if he was.

Natsumi walked in. "So, did you see him?" I nodded. "What did he say?" "Nothing. He walked away." She sighed. "He'll come around." "Maybe." "He _will._" "Yes, he will." I started growling. "Do you _really_ want to be my third victim, Izaya?" "You couldn't kill me." I looked to where he was standing outside of my front door that Natsumi had forgotten to close. "You want to risk it?" "Quit acting like you're some tough guy. We both know you _wouldn't_ kill me." He walked over to me. "You'd be too afraid of what Shizuo would think." He jumped forward and spun around. Natsumi had poked him in the back—or maybe the butt, there's no telling with Natsumi—with a steak knife. "She might not kill you, but I might." "Watch it." Izaya started rubbing the place she had stabbed him. Yup…it was his butt. "You want me to stab you harder this time?" "That could hardly be counted as a stab—," "Get out you little punk!" "Fine! Fine. I'm going." He looked at me and smiled. "See you later, Senritsu. Maybe then you'll no longer be acting like a little baby, and we can talk business—," Natsumi raised the knife. "That's it!" Izaya slid past her and out the door.

"That punk pisses me off." "Did you have to poke him in the butt, though?" She smiled. "Maybe." I rolled my eyes and buried my face in my pillow. I felt sick. Natsumi sighed and walked over to give me a hug. "I'm sorry you have to go through this." "It sucks!" She laughed. "I know." "I miss him," I whispered." "I know."


	19. Chapter 19 : Final

**TT^TT NOOOOOOO! It's over guys! I'm really going to miss writing this story. :( But, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you!**

Chapter 19

~Three months later~

I wasn't looking for him anymore, but I had seen him several times. He never said a word. Sometimes, he wouldn't even look at me. I knew he could hear me talking when I was walking with Natsumi, or ordering sushi. I know he heard me because he would tense up and finish whatever he was doing quickly so he could leave. It quickly became obvious what he was trying to achieve with this. He wanted to pretend that none of this had ever happened. That I had never seen him in that alley. That he had never seen me. That he had never taken me on that first date, or kissed me.

I had already gotten all of the cervical cancer shots. Not that I was _ever_ going to need them now. I mean, I wasn't planning on doing anything with Shizuo anytime soon anyway. But I had thought, one day….

Oh, it doesn't matter now! I'm leaving. I'm packing now, leaving tomorrow. "Are you sure you want to do this?" "Yes, Natsumi, I'm sure. Do you want to come, too?" She was quiet for a minute. "Do you need me to?" "If you want to leave, I wouldn't mind the company, but if you want to stay, that's fine, too. It's up to you." "Well, I'm starting to like it here, now that I'm not afraid anymore. But, I would be lonely without you!" "You'll be fine." "Maybe." I finished packing. "Maybe if you try talking to him—?" "How am I supposed to do that when he runs from me every time he sees me?" "Run after him!" "What am I supposed to say?! Huh?! 'Shizuo, I'm sorry I lied to you about _killing people, _but do you think we could give it one more chance?'?" She shut up. "I'm sorry for yelling, but I'm leaving." "It's okay. I'm sorry for pushing. I just wish there was some way to get you to stay." "There isn't. Everywhere I look, something reminds me of him." I walked out on the balcony and motioned for her to join me.

I ran my hand along the railing. "Can you feel these dents?" She ran her hand over it. "Yes." "Shizuo was pissed because of Izaya doing one of the many awful things Izaya has done." I nodded towards the ground, at the bottom of a tree. "Look down there." She looked. "Do you see that thing leaning up against that tree?" She squinted. "I-is that a _street sign?_" "Yes." I chuckled. "He threw it at Izaya when we came here after our first date and found him on my balcony. He said he would get rid of it." I sighed. "I can't stay here." She looked at me. "I'll miss you." "I'll miss you, too."

"Well, it's late. I'm going to bed." "Alright," I said. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning, but I'll wake you up to say goodbye before I leave." "Don't be stupid, I'll go with you to the airport." I smiled. "Thanks." "No problem. Night." "Good night." After she left, I decided to go to bed, too. I had to get up pretty early.

Right before I fell asleep, I noticed bag of rice that was on my counter, that I had never cooked. After Shizuo and I started spending so much time together, I wasn't afraid to go out anymore. Ugh…. If I keep thinking about him, I'll never get any sleep. I tried to push him out of my mind, and eventually, finally, fell asleep.

~Shizuo's POV~

I couldn't get her out of my head today! I don't know why, It had started getting easier, not much, but it had. What is it about today?! I don't want to think about her! She probably hates me by now. She _must _hate me, or she would have said something by now. _You should have said something by now, stupid._ I growled, scaring some of the people I walked past. I know! Dang it, I know. I dropped my cigarette and crushed it under my foot. I had started smoking again about a month ago, when the stress was just too much.

I was taking a walk through the park. _This isn't going to help get her out of your head._ I wished I could get this voice out of my head. When I lie to myself, I prefer not being corrected…by myself…. This is confusing.

I stopped walking, and started rubbing my head. And then, I heard someone, yelling my name. It wasn't Senritsu, I would have known her voice anywhere, but the voice was familiar. I turned and saw Natsumi walking towards me. Okay, more like, stomp-run-walking, or something. She looked pissed. "What—?" I started to ask, but when she reached me, she punched me right in the face. _Hard._ Or, at least, harder than I would have expected from her. "_OW!_" "You jerk! Why haven't you talked to Senritsu in so long?!" "I have nothing to say." She lifted her fist, about to punch me again. I grabbed her arm. "Oh, no, you don't." "She has cried herself to sleep almost _every night_ these past few months. She has worried herself _sick_, afraid that you hate her!" "What if I do?!" She glared at me. "You and I both know that isn't true." "Oh, do we?" "Yes." She jerked her arm away from me. "You don't know this about me, but I like to climb trees, a lot. And there are a lot of trees outside of my apartment building. As a matter of fact, they wrap tightly around the entire building, so I'm able to walk from one tree to another. My favorite is the one in the front of the building, right next to Senritsu's balcony. I like to people watch." "You sound like Izaya. So?" She looked me right in the eye. "I couldn't even be able to _begin_ to count how many times I have seen you walk by that building. You slow down and I can just _barely_ see you glance up at her window. Every time."

I froze. "I haven't been by there in weeks. What makes you think I still care?" _Um, maybe the fact that you _do? Shut up. Her hand shot up and grabbed the collar of my shirt, and she pulled my face down to eye level with hers. "Senritsu is _leaving._"

It felt like my heart stopped beating. I couldn't breathe. "She's going home. And it's all because of _you._ Because you can't get over the fact that she lied. Big, freaking whoop. Do you _really_ think this is worth losing her over? She made a _mistake_. Frankly, the way you're acting, I think her first mistake was letting herself fall for you in the first place. You have broken the heart of my _best friend_, and, even worse, she thinks it's all her fault." She let go of my shirt and turned to walk away.

Just before she was too far away for me to hear her, she turned and said, "If you _really_ love her at all, you'll be able to put this behind you and move on. With her. Stupid mistakes don't tear apart two people that are truly in love." She turned and disappeared. I blinked. She was _really_ starting to remind me of Izaya.

I clenched my fist. Senritsu is leaving. She's _leaving!_ No! What have I done?! I roared and punched a light post that was next to me, bending it slightly. "I've got to stop her," I whispered. _Thought you were mad at her._ I'm an idiot. I should have gotten over this a long time ago. I love her, and she might have hurt me, but I've hurt her _much_ worse.

I stared running. I had to talk her out of this! I ran until a got to her apartment door. I started knocking, loudly. I was out of breath, and I could slight feel the broken bones in my hand, but, for the first time in months, I felt closer to where I should be. With her. Now if only I could get her to open her door.

~OC's POV~

I groaned. Who, on _earth_ is knocking on my door at 2:00am? "Go away! I'm trying to sleep!" The banging got louder. "Ugh!" I stood up and walked to the door. I didn't even bother to see who it was. Who cared anymore? I threw open the door. I caught only a glance of blonde hair, almost two feet above my head, before i was grabbed and I felt lips pressed hard against mine.

Shizuo kicked the door closed and backed me up to the futon, and we fell on it. He just kept kissing me, giving me few seconds at a time to breathe, but at those times, he was kissing my neck. His glasses started to slide off of his face, so he yanked them off and threw them across the room. It was then that I could see how red his eyes were, and his wet eyelashes. Shizuo had been crying. I felt something wet fall on my cheek. Scratch that. _Was_ crying. "Shizuo?" I gasped when he once again moved on to kiss my neck. He shook his head. "Shizuo, what's wrong?" He stopped kissing me and hid his face in my neck. He was breathing hard, and sobbing. "_Don't…_" he tried to say. "Don't what?" "_Leave me!_" I was shocked. "What?" He took a few deep, shaky breaths and tried to calm down. "I talked to Natsumi. She told me you were leaving." He lifted his head and looked at me. "Please don't," he whispered.

"Shizuo…." He kissed me again, shutting me up. I tried to pull away, but he wrapped his hand around the back of my head and held me tightly. "Shizuo, I'm leaving," I mumbled against his lips. He shook his head again and pulled away. "If I have to tie you up to keep you here, I will. I'll kidnap you. I won't let you leave!" "Why should I stay?! Why are you even trying to get me to stay?! I thought you hated me!" "I don't!" "Then where have you been?! Why have you ignored me?! I told you I was sorry for lying to you, I can't do much more than that." "I don't care that much that you lied to me, it's _why_ you lied to me I'm upset about it." He sighed. "You thought I would hate you. You thought I would actually care that you defended yourself against people that would have hurt you." He looked at the floor. "It's obvious that you hate the violence in you. People often call me violence incarnated. If you thought I would hate you for your violence, who's to say you won't hate me for mine?" He looked back at me and smiled slightly.

I thought this over for a minute. Then I slapped him. His eyes went wide. "That was for being stupid, and for not telling me how you felt about this. _And_ for almost letting me leave." I kissed him hard. "And _that_ was for stopping me." He started to smile. I laughed, and he joined in.

A few seconds later, Natsumi barged in. "I heard laughter!" She looked at Shizuo. "Is she staying?" Looked at me. "Are you staying?" I laughed again. "Yes, I'm staying." "Yay!" Then, in the same tone of voice, "I would give you both a hug right now, but judging by your position I think that would be a little awkward! I'm gonna go now! See you guys tomorrow!"

I laughed again as she left, then looked at Shizuo, who was looking at me with a strange look on his face. "What?" "You _slapped_ me." "I-I'm sorry." Oh-no. I know that look. Trying to prevent what I knew would happen next, I kissed his cheek. "All better?" I asked, hopeful. He slowly shook his head. I squeaked as he practically _attacked_ the ticklish spot on my neck. I laughed and tried to wiggle out from under him. "Quit it!" He did, but only to bite my earlobe and the pull away to see my reaction. "What was _that?_" "Something new." "I can see that. Or, rather, feel. Why did you _do_ that?" He looked away and smiled. "No reason." Then, nonchalantly, "Hey, did you ever finish getting those shots?" I slapped his chest and tried to get out from under him again. "Sweet reunion or not, I'm not doing anything with you." He chuckled. "For future reference." "Still not doing it!" I tried again. I couldn't move. "That's alright. I'm fine with how we are right now." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don't think I don't know what you really meant just now. 'I'm fine with how we are right now'. You're on top of me right now." He threw back his head and laughed. "You got me." I rolled my eyes. "Hey, I _am_ human you know. Everyone thinks about it." He rested his forehead on mine. "How often do _you_ think about it, Senritsu?" "You," I kissed him quickly, "will never know." We both laughed.

"I'm glad you're staying, Senritsu." I sighed. "Me, too." He kissed me slowly, gently. "I love you," he whispered. I smiled. "I love you, too." I was _so_ tempted to say it. Just _once_. I mean, it was _so cute!_ Maybe not coming from "_him",_ but it was cute, and I wanted to say it _so bad!_ Shizuo read my mind. He sighed. "Fine. _Just once!_" "Shizu-chan!" I clapped and kissed his cheek. "Oh, I had _better_ get something better than a kiss on the cheek for that." I grabbed his head and pressed my lips to his. After a few minutes, when I finally let him breathe again, he gasped, "Much better." I laughed and pulled him back to me, feeling, for the first time ever, perfectly happy.

~Epilog…Sort of~Izaya's POV~

Crouching in the tree next to Senritsu's balcony, I heard, and saw, everything. "So, you're staying," I whispered. "Good. I still haven't figured you out yet." I dropped from the tree and started walking home. "But that was _my_ nickname. I guess I'll just have to get you back for that one, Senritsu." I smiled, and mentally put her back on the list of things to use against Shizu-chan. "I'll figure out another secret…. I promise."

~End~

**By the way, I might continue the Shizuo and Senritsu stories...that is ****_if_**** I can think of another plot.**

**Also, Disclaimer : I do not own any of the Durarara characters. Senritsu and Natsumi, however, are mine.**

**Also, THANK YOU! I had a lot of fun writing this, and I appreciate all the reviews!**


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